Point of BeginningTransportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Michael Huerta have announced the implementation of the first operational rules for routine commercial use of small unmanned aircraft systems. The regulations on June 21 are effective as of Aug. 29.
"People are captivated by the limitless possibilities unmanned aircraft offer, and they are already creating business opportunities in this exciting new field," Foxx says. READ MORE

GISCIThe next testing window for the GISCI Geospatial Core Technical Knowledge Exam® as a part of the GISP Certification has been scheduled for early July and will be administered by PSI Online through their worldwide testing facilities in a computer based testing format.
The exam application form and testing center locations are now available on the GISCI web site, and an Exam Application portal is being developed on the site and should be available for direct exam application soon.
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Utility MagazineThe impact unmanned aerial vehicles is having on utility asset inspection and management has been considerable in recent years, and their impact will continue to grow considerably, says Mark Limbruner, President of the Geospatial Information and Technology Association North America (GITA NA).
Limbruner was recently in Australia for Locate16, the national conference of the spatial and surveying industries of Australia and New Zealand. READ MORE

GPS WorldQ: Buyers get little guidance as to how specific receivers react to interference, particularly in critical infrastructure. Is there a need for receiver testing and certification along the lines of Underwriters Laboratories to guide purchase and acquisition?

A: Exhaustive "seven-nines" testing and verification is expensive, takes a long time and stymies innovation. Yet simple and pragmatic testing can reveal faults very quickly. Numerous receivers fail to recognize that interference is occurring and/or produce hazardously misleading position with no warning to the user. READ MORE

Directions MagazineSmart mapping leader Esri released a robust collection of web maps that display NOAA forecast streamflow data for the continental United States.
Esri's multiscale web map applications allow users to view forecast water flows in real time at high resolution. The maps weave NOAA's recently released National Water Model data and Esri's ArcGIS functionality to provide interactive views of current and future water system behaviors.
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Inside GNSSMore than 300 engineers, technicians, and support personnel have been working on the GPS III program, including successfully completing space vehicle 01 testing, at Lockheed Martin's processing facility near Denver.
The Air Force recently exercised contract options for Lockheed Martin to complete development of eight GPS III space vehicles. The eight vehicles are in various stages of assembly, integration and testing, according to the prime contractor for the next-generation spacecraft.
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National Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency have publicly released new three-dimensional topographic maps of Alaska in support of a White House Arctic initiative to inform better decision-making in the Arctic.
The digital elevation models, or DEMs, are the first maps to be released by the ArcticDEM project, which was created after a January 2015 executive order calling for enhanced coordination of national efforts in the Arctic.
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Sensors & SystemsDisasters and emergencies can happen at any time, often without warning. Natural hazards threaten thousands of lives and cause billions of dollars in damage every year throughout the nation.
September is National Preparedness Month, a time to highlight the resources available to help you and your loved ones stay as safe as possible. This article features several science tools that are important for preparing for such events and helping guide decisions to minimize impacts.
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HealthCare IT NewsThe American Medical Association has launched an enhanced version of its Health Workforce Mapper, a tool designed to enable physicians and other healthcare providers to improve patient access to care.
In addition to highlighting geographic locations of the healthcare workforce in each state, the mapping tool now also provides population health data by geographic location.
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